High-Dose Vitamin D Did Not Prevent Fractures in Older Finns
Graded Moderate — a random draw split 2,495 older adults into three groups for five years; with only 174 fractures during that time, the estimates remain uncertain.
- Design
- Randomized controlled trial
- Participants
- 2,495
- Duration
- 5 years
- Funding
- Research Council of Finland, Juho Vainio Foundation, University of Eastern…
In older adults with enough vitamin D in their blood, five years of high-dose pills did not lower the risk of broken bones.
Whether vitamin D pills protect older people from broken bones is still debated. A large trial in Finland now gives a clear answer for people who already have enough vitamin D. Five years of high doses did not lower their risk of fractures.
The trial enrolled 2,495 men aged 60 or older and women aged 65 or older. They were chosen at random to take 1,600 or 3,200 international units of vitamin D3 a day, or a dummy pill. Fractures were tracked through national health registers. The higher dose showed no clear difference from the dummy pill. The lower dose came with a 52 percent higher risk of fractures. Age, sex, past falls or calcium pills did not change these results.
Most participants had adequate vitamin D in their blood at the start. In a subgroup of 550 people, the pills raised blood levels clearly, yet fractures did not become less common. The authors conclude that the findings do not support high doses to prevent fractures in such people. The result does not automatically apply to people with a real deficiency, because this group was mostly well supplied.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: One author received travel costs from Abiogen Pharma, and another received funding from Mars Edge outside this work.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.